Will the newly discovered “sparklemuffin” spider cure arachnophobia?

Is it possible to be afraid of something called a Sparklemuffin spider? It, along with the slightly more ominous sounding “Skeletons” are the two new species of peacock spiders discovered in Australia according to a new report.

Peacock spiders (Maratus volans) derive their name from the elaborate red, blue and black colored hindquarters and elaborate mating dances. They range in size from three to seven millimeters or 0.1 to 0.3 inches and appear to be exclusive to Australia. The two new finds bring the total number of peacock spider species to five.

The spiders were found in southeast Queensland by University of California, Berkeley graduate student Madeline Girard and a friend who joined her for the field work.

The Sparklemuffin spider, officially Maratus jactatus, was given its name for the blue and red striping on its abdomen and mellow nature.

Jürgen Otto, an entomologist whose specialty is arachnid photography and co-author of the report told Live Science that he was initially not too excited about Sparklemuffin because the spider bore a strong resemblance to other peacock spiders he had seen before.

“It was in particular its docile nature and soft teddy bearlike appearance that really charmed me. It was a fun spider to work with,” he said.

The second species, Skeletorus, was given its name for the white markings on a black background that reminded Girard of a skeleton.

Skeletorus, officially Maratus sceletus, “looks dramatically different all other peacock spiders known to date, making me think that this group is perhaps much more diverse than we had thought. Despite the large number of species we have discovered just in the last few years, I can’t help feeling that we may have just scratched the surface of this most exciting group of spiders, and that nature has quite a few more surprises in store,“ according to Otto.

Unlike Sparklemuffin, Skeletons looks distinctly different from the other peacock spiders found to date.

Jürgen Otto also reported that he got the opportunity to watch Skeletorus perform its elaborate mating dance.

“When [the male] got within a few centimeters of the female, he exploded into a firework of activity. The spinnerets were extended and flicked around at an amazing speed, one of the legs was flexed like he wanted to show off his muscles, and he moved constantly from one side of the grass blade to the other,” he said.

The report documenting the new spiders is published in the journal Peckhamia. That publication deals exclusively with jumping spiders.

“The Peckham Society was founded in 1977, as an informal international alliance of amateur and professional naturalists or scientists with an interest in research related to the biology of salticid (jumping) spiders (Arachnida: Araneae: Salticidae). This society was named in honor of George and Elizabeth Peckham, early pioneers in the study of these remarkable animals. The major publication of The Peckham Society is called PECKHAMIA, also in honor of George and Elizabeth Peckham,” according to the website.

According to study co-author David Hill, who is also the editor of Peckhamia, Jürgen Otto’s passion for photographing the animals has led to great advancement in the study of peacock spiders which had been largely ignored previously.

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